Conflict Theory
by White Mask Black Eyes
Summary: Conflict Theory: Any change that occurs to a society is caused by opposing forces clashing. If there is to be progress there must first be bloodshed. Will be slash, pairing is undecided. This is AU
1. And So

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter. That is solely with J.K Rowling. Thank you Ms. Rowling for this beautiful universe that we all dream about.

Warnings: There is some cursing/foul language. There will be slash or male/male. This will not be graphic so it should not be disturbing to any readers. I will add warnings as I see fit.

Chapter 1: And so...

My breathing came in and out shallowly. My uncle had made sure to express his distaste with me today; I had failed to get the required amount of work done. Once again I was locked up in my cousin's room and my daily gruel thrust through the cat flap.

Sighing I sat upon my bed and carefully ate the food that was provided for me. There was only so much that porridge could do to fill ones stomach; instead of gulping down the food I learned early on to eat slowly. This method helped me to train my stomach to function on the little food provided to me. As the bland food hit my tongue, I let my mind wander to keep the taste from bothering me. I focused in upon old wall paper in front of me; as my cousin's second bedroom this room was established with the desire to satisfy a young boy. The shelving was all installed to be at the height of a four foot tall person; to short for my five foot five stature. But the shelving could never have been of use to me seeing as my cousin's discarded toys littered every inch of surface on them. The closet is untouchable; I made the mistake when I first arrived of opening those doors. I spent the rest of the day carefully piling in the toys, clothes, and odd knick knacks that filled the space. The dresser next to the bed is a baby blue color with little airplanes as knobs to the drawers. The bed frame is of the same baby blue colored wood that the dresser is made of; fortunately though, it was designed to function for an older child as well as a younger one. The sheets of the bed are faded, but they once were of little fighter planes. This was my cousins 'escape bedroom'; whenever he wished to go away my aunt would take him here. Aunt Petunia explained that this room was the gateway to wherever he wanted to go; it helped that it is themed with airplanes.

But now this room is my escape. More specifically the wall paper has become my escape. Though all of the furnishings were of that babyish quality and very unsophisticated, my aunt went all out on the wall paper. Instead of a repetitive pattern like what most wallpaper is, this paper is more like a painting on a canvas. The fashioning though is to be like the quality of old paper, its all a faded yellow. But the pictures have this intricate, yet unfinished, look to them. The clouds feel massive and strong, the airplanes look to actually be moving. The scene is supposed to be a battle between the planes and it truly does look to be so. When I eat my disgusting porridge I always look to the wall paper and imagine that I am in one of those planes. It did not matter to me that they were in a battle, I just wanted to feel the air on my face.

After careful rationing of my food I gingerly set the bowl outside of the cat flap. This routine was so well established that I could probably do this even with the loss of my sight; hopefully it will never come to that. Once again I sat upon my bed except this time I grabbed my scrapbook album. Like every other month I once again felt the need to look upon my family.

My mother is Lily Potter and my father is James Potter. My mother came from the house of Evans. The Evan line is known as an Elvish line; though my aunt broke that record. She was the first to be born that possessed none of the qualities of their line. It was devastating to the family to learn of this, but it was more devastating to Petunia. None of the other houses wished to associate with her and it thus forced her into the muggle world. The muggle world is of course the humans that have no ties to any of the families or houses. However, Petunia is not the only person born of a house that possessed none of the house's qualities. Sometimes these people occur within families and, sort-of, are thrust into the muggle world. When they have children it sometimes occurs that that child possess the traits of their parent's house. These children are then snatched by that parent's house and rarely see their muggle parents again. I know Petunia was afraid that this might happen to her son Dudley. Fortunately for her this was not to be the case. But I have wandered from talking of my mother.

Petunia was not the only first of the Evans line. My mother did posses the qualities of the Evans line. She showed an affinity to a natural element; for her it is earth. My mother has a wonderful green thumb and the gardens at our home were always lush and well cared for. Lily, however, did not inherit long life that has always graced the elven houses. In fact, my mother is the first elf born to live a mortal life. That in itself is not the damning part. Most houses actually only posses the ability for mortal life; very few houses produce immortal beings. I like to think of it as the balancing act for us, an implement set to keep the world from being overpopulated by immortal beings. Though we 'special beings', a term my aunt adopted for the houses, populate at most twenty percent of the population. The problem with my mother's mortality comes into play because of who she married.

My father comes from the house of Potter. The Potter line is well known amongst the houses and is unique in itself. The Potter's have a rather dark ability; dark in my opinion at least. When I was still with my parents I had told my father that I thought his gift was dark. He was so angry that he spanked me five times really hard with no cloth between my behind and his hand. Potter's generally have a telekinetic ability; for my father it manifested into something scary. If my father focuses enough, he could sharpen his mind's ability into 'knives' that can slice up anything. He demonstrated this to me when I was about five by cutting down and old oak that my mother said was passed its prime. The tree was chopped into mulch chips in about ten minutes or less. Though, my father's ability was not the problem; the problem was that my dad is immortal.

The common muggle perception of immortality is that it would be awesome. There would be no fear of death. To those with immortality it is a fear of long life and to some, a curse.

Some families practice arranged marriages, usually those families are those who are immortal. There is more thought and care put into finding the right spouse for their immortal children and they always marry immortals with other immortals.

Now muggles would immediately start objecting to this saying that these houses are limiting love to such barbaric standards. Trust me, it is not as barbaric as it may sound. There is no such thing as divorce amongst us, when you marry it is meant for life. If a spouse dies, god forbid that that should happen, the surviving spouse is meant to live on as if they were still married. My father is expected to live on for his immortal life long after my mother passes away by himself. This fear was what everyone was trying to avoid.

My parents were married when they were in there early twenties. There was no solid confirmation that the two were immortal, only their families prestige and the slowing of their aging. Thus the Evans line agreed to bond with the Potter line. Everyone was so happy and joyous that my parents soon had me. I was born only two years after they were married. But when my father finally stopped aging, my mother continued.

I was seven when the alarms were raised. My mother was immediately rushed to one of the families in the Gryffindor area that specialized in prognosis was not just bad, it was terrifying. My mother was still aging, but the healer, Poppy Pomfrey if I am correct, said that my mother was ill. My father immediately demanded Madame Pomfrey heal my mother.

I still remember Madame Pomfrey's face. The lines that lined her forehead and mouth relaxed slightly and then tensed rather suddenly. Her eyes softened and hardened accordingly with her face's lines. The corner of her mouth turned slightly down on the left side of her face. But it was her hands that I remember; they sought out my fathers hands and held them firmly as she delivered the last bit of news.

"Mr. Potter, your wife's illness stems from her families abilities. It is something that is slowly eating away at her bodies energy. The only thing that I can tell you is that her body will slowly wear itself out. The more she uses her ability the faster her death will approach. If you can stop her from using her gift, she may live for another dozen years. But if she continues, I highly doubt that she will live to see your son graduate. I am truly sorry, believe me if I could do something I would. I really would Mr. Potter."

Despite how harsh some of her words were, she only delivered them to scare my dad into saving my mom. And trust me they worked. They worked really, really well.

When my dad's family learned of my mother's prognosis they went to war with the Evans line. There were many verbal fights and there was even a fight between my mothers cousin and my fathers uncle. It was explosive and almost cost the life of an innocent muggle. At that point the authorities of the Gryffindor area had to step in.

We live in England; the area of England is divided into four governed areas. There is the Gryffindor area where my family lives. It is governed by Albus Dumbledore. Then there is the Slytherin area which is governed by Gellert Grindelwald. There is a lot of history between the Slytherin territory and the Gryffindor territory. The most interesting history happens to reside between Grindelwald and Dumbledore.

It is rumored that at one point the two, Gellert and Albus, were lovers. There is much speculation as to what went wrong but I have a feeling that there was some lying on the part of Albus. Albus is actually a firm friend of the Potters. When I was around five or six he came over to the family's winter holiday party. Dumbledore is a tall man with a long white beard and almost equally long white hair. His face shows all the signs of laugh lines and his eyes have the bags that any old man has. But Dumbledore's eyes do not share the same age that his appearance does. I know for a fact that Gellert is not immortal but I think that Dumbledore is. Especially with his friend named Fawkes. Fawkes' family has the regenerative abilities that the fabled Phoenix has. And Fawkes has been with Albus since they were young boys together.

My theory, I am so bored that I have little else to contemplate, is that Gellert realized that Albus was not mortal and ended the relationship before he could be hurt. But I have a feeling that Albus will follow Gellert even to death. I just saw something in that man's eye that told me he was going to fight for his love. But what do I know.

I really have no room to even speculate about others. I am a reject of my own before I speak about myself let me explain my world a bit better.

Besides the Gryffindor and Slytherin areas there are also the Hufflepuff and the Ravenclaw areas. The Hufflepuff area is run by Helga Hufflepuff and the Ravenclaw area is run by Rowena Ravenclaw alongside her daughter Helena Ravenclaw. Both of these areas are relatively new. They are only at most a couple hundred years old. The areas are named after their founding houses and have been governed by those families. I know very little of those areas, but what I have heard is that they are well governed and cared for.

But regarding my family, Albus was needed to step in. He forced the heads of my families to meet along with my parents. It was a rather tense meeting if my mind recalls this correctly. The head of the Evans line is Julia Evans and she is rather hot headed. It definitely fits her fire element. The Potter line is actually co-headed by Will and Harold Potter. Will was the more energetic of the two in that meeting. Will kept demanding some sort of payment for the damage that was to occur to my father for when my mother died and Julia kept denying that it was the Evans' fault. I was crying in the corner as everyone began to shout.

It took a well placed freeze on Albus' part before anything productive could actually happen. I am not entirely sure of what Albus is able to do but I do know that he can stop the bodies movement. It stopped Julia from throwing flames at Will.

My parents decided that nothing would be done; they finalized their pre-planned plans instead. My mom really wanted to travel and my parents then announced that we, my parents and I, were going to travel the world. Before anymore objections could arise Albus dismissed everyone 'nicely'.

It was supposed to be the best years of my life. But normalcy was never supposed to be part of my family. Before we were to leave my own abilities reared their heads. I have a slight green thumb, plants tend to do well under my care but that is about all that I got regarding my mother's side of the family. My father's side is another story entirely. I am not able to do anything as extreme as my father, but if I focus hard enough I am able to erect a shield. But doing this is very taxing for me; I am still trying to build stamina to raise a shield. Right now I can only maintain a shield for about two minutes. But the real problem is with what I can not control.

Somehow I inherited Gorgon like traits from my father's side. No one knows how or where the trait came from, but it is in me. I do not have snakes for hair, but I am told that when it happens, my eyes become yellow with the pupils like that of a snake. The horror came when my parrot became stone. I screamed when this happened and my father came rushing in. Once he took in the scene he immediately locked the door.

My mom was banging on it demanding entrance while my father gazed at me with slight horror. My fate was sealed that day. Despite my lack of control my mother pleaded to take me with them. She said that we would be careful, no mortals would be hurt if my father kept a watchful eye on me. (The saving grace to my curse is that immortals are not effected by my 'gift'. But they are still freaked out by the eyes and the knowledge that I can kill almost anyone just by accident.)

So for my mother a reluctant heart and for my father with a lighter heart, I was dropped off at the Dursleys. The reasoning behind this was so that no family, Evans or Potter, could really have claim over me. The Dursleys were given explicit instructions to never look me in the eye and to just generally avoid contact with me.

When they heard of the danger that I was they were horrified. They tried to send me away to an immortal family but my mother begged Petunia. Petunia reluctantly agreed to it for my mother's sake; despite Petunia's semi-exile she still loved my mother.

For a little over nine years now I have been locked away. Forced to teach myself because I could not attend school and to try and refine my abilities. I am proud now to say that I am able to sense when my Gorgon episodes are about to happen. But the Dursleys do not care for my accomplishments.

I looked at the picture of my family. My mother has her fierce red hair plaited with an emerald green ribbon woven to secure it. The emerald ribbon matches her eyes almost exactly, but my mother's eyes hold something more light and brilliant than any material object could ever hope to replicate. Her arms are wrapped around a four year old me. My green eyes look dull compared to hers. The red in my black hair looks faded and muted compared to the red of her hair. My father has his arms around my mother. His smile is big and his hazel eyes are flashing in the sunlight, or maybe that is his glasses. Not to sure. I wish I had not inherited the need for glasses from him, but it is workable I guess. I am glad though that my hair is much more calm than my father's. His hair is wild and messy whereas my own hair is more wavy and just a little frizzy.

I moved on quickly in the album, flipping a little more aggressively to distance myself from my own disappointment. I saw the smiling faces of my fathers friends. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Not wishing to dwell on them as well I flipped to the last page. The last page of my scrapbook holds the recent letter from parents.

There have been whispers of unrest in the Slytherin territory. There has been a man named Voldemort who has been causing disturbances. Some people have turned up dead and some claim that this Voldemort is gaining followers.

Rumor has it that this man has been seeking to gain power over all the families. His goal: immortality. And it seems he is going to get it either through an immortal life or the deeds that he is going to leave behind.

My parents are worried that this is going to reach the other territories soon and are coming back. Honestly I do not care the reason.

I just want to feel the air again.

End of Chapter 1

A/N: This plot has been coursing through my head for a few months now. I really hope that people enjoy the idea. I am planning to finish this story. I actually have a plan and can't wait to put the next installment in. I sincerely hope that you will review. I hope that people want to read this, it is really discouraging to find that no one cares. If there is not enough support for this story, it might slip like some of my other stories. Tell me what to fix and I will try to do it! Thank you for reading!

WMBE


	2. With This

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. That world belongs to the lovely J.K Rowling. Thank you so much Ms. Rowling!

Warnings: Standard from chapter 1, though I will add this: I do not know the British slang. I have read it in other fanfics and I could probably add it if I really tried, but...it's not really my jargon. My fear is that by using it... it will feel unnatural to me. If there is someone out there that is truly offended and would like to have it in here...contact me and I will see about having a beta that will help me with this. Also I have never been to England so...I do not know any places. Help would be appreciated. Really really appreciated.

Chapter 2: ...With This...

It was a really hot and humid summers day when my parents finally arrived.

That morning my uncle unlocked my door for the day; his usual command was to "Do the cooking and dishes Boy! After that do the laundry and clean the house." The last bit of his exclamation is also standard, but it still sends shivers down my back. The way he delivers this threat is truly creepy. Instead of the usual shouting that accompanies all of my uncle's demands this one is whispered in a deadly calm voice. It just further solidifies the reality of the statement. He always adds this in the end," If you so much as make eye contact with my Dudders, you'll be lucky if you can walk up the stairs by yourself."

I have never looked at my cousins face, never. If Dudley ever demands something of me I always look at his shoes. My lovely cousin takes advantage of my submissive position; I rarely escape his company without a bruise or two on my face.

Over the years I have learned about my cousin through the shoes he wears. When we were younger he always wore sneakers. His favorite pair of sneakers was these baby blue shoes. When my aunt asked him why he always wore those shoes Dudley's response was, "They are my escape shoes!". It was the first time that I ever thought of my cousin as a human being. I finally realized, at that time, that my cousin was a little boy like me who wanted to feel the wind on his face.

But my aunt kept Dudley from feeling that freedom. Petunia smothered her boy with 'affection' to the point where Dudley lost himself. As the years progressed, so did Dudley's shoes. From sneakers he progressed to semi- casual shoes. Uncle Vernon was prodding his son to abandon playing and demanded that he attend social functions with him. Eventually Dudley's shoes became the same shoes that Vernon wears, shiny polished loafers that I am forced to polish every night.

I know that my cousin is angry about the change. I'm not sure if he fully realizes that he has lost himself to his parents demands, but his contempt for me truly shows that he is unhappy. Despite all of his parents warnings he tried to befriend me at first. That changed though very quickly.

My cousin changed from the adventure seeking boy to the over weight young man whose only pleasure is to beat me up.

I made breakfast as was usual, the bacon was nice and crispy and the eggs were not runny. Anything less of perfection usually gets me a couple of sharp whacks to the back of my head from my Uncle.

To keep myself positive and focused I started to think of my chores as a game. That I was Hercules attempting to complete the twelve tasks assigned. Each day was marked as a new game, a restart button in a crude way. When I was younger I was much more prone to failing my games, but I am proud to say that I have not failed once for about a month now.

After setting the table for the Dursley's I went back into the kitchen. After cleaning up the supplies that I used for making their breakfast I quickly grabbed my usual slices of bread. Unfortunately, for this meal I am unable to take my time to eat it. I have to gobble down the slices and quickly move on to the rest of my chores. My stomach has quickly learned not to protest this practice, but I still long to eat the eggs and bacon that I have prepared time after time for my family.

Quickly washing down my meager breakfast with some water I went silently down the hall to the cupboard under the stairs. This cupboard was actually my first bedroom at the Dursley house hold. It still scares me to this day; when I was first locked up in it I cried my eyes out and banged on the door until my fists were bloody. My cousin was the one to let me out finally after his parents went to bed.

My cousin was my guardian angel in the beginning. He would let me out at night and he would stay for a little bit and talk to me. He even brought an old teddy bear of his for me to have as company at night. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Uncle Vernon made sure that his son never wanted to associate with me ever again.

I quickly grabbed the mop and bucket to get started on the floors. I needed to get the floors done while the Dursleys were preoccupied with eating. It takes about half an hour for the floors to dry so I always start with the areas the Dursleys travel along first. I immediately began with the hallway that leads to the front door and living room area.

One time I did not move fast enough mopping the floors; when Uncle Vernon finished his breakfast he slipped in the hallway. I swear time slowed down in that moment. My eyes were riveted on watching my obese uncle's body move in unnatural ways to try and right itself. The fat jiggled rapidly with the physical effort of trying to stay upright. I am thankful to this day that he did not actually fall. It was my first mistake and it was my first beating. I am so scared to get beaten again, my head pounded so hard all that day that I could not stop myself from crying. My stomach kept wanting to upheave itself and I fought really hard to maintain the small amount of food that I was able to eat that day. I know that the beating would have been worse if my uncle actually did fall.

With that thought I quickly suppressed the shiver that went down my spine and began my task. I was so focused with completing my chores that I jumped when I heard the doorbell ring. At this point in my day I was dusting the shelves in the living room. It is the most delicate of all my chores because on these shelves are my aunt's most prized silver ware. Any nicks on the pieces and I would be having the beating of my life.

When the door rang I had just put down the final piece of silver ware. I almost knocked it down with my flailing arm but I just missed it by a centimeter.

"Boy! Get the door!" Hearing my uncle's order I quickly rushed to the door to see what visitor we would be entertaining for the day.

I wish I had not opened the door in the attire that I was wearing. With my constant work in the house and my always staying within the house my uncle decided that I would never need new clothes. Instead I was to wear any of Dudley's old clothes. At first this was fine because Dudley was not to different in size from me. He was only a little taller when we were younger. But now, the size gap is enormous; I have taken to ripping some of the older shirts to make makeshift belts to keep the pants on my hips. Generally all of the clothes are old, faded, and have numerous holes and stains. I look like a homeless young man making do with clothes found in a crummy garbage can.

To bad that I opened the door wearing such monstrosities to greet my parents.

My mother looks so gorgeous, her wild red hair is down so that the curls can be picked up by the wind. Her eyes though have lost a little of the sparkle that I always adored, but when she caught my eyes with her own I saw the glimmer there. Though my eyes quickly averted from her own after the contact. My father would not approve of my endangering of my mother's life. She looked spectacular in the clean cut white sundress. She is the perfect angel, the one who I have been waiting for to take me home.

My father looked every bit of the strong masculine character. His wild hair did not look so freakish today. His suit was tailored to look the part of a modern wealthy man. The Potter family should be proud of the way my parents represent the name. But one look at my attire and my father's eyes betrayed the fact that I was destroying whatever dignity my parents name had.

My face grew very hot at that realization and I just know that I am blushing. My mother did not waste any time, she jumped forward with no invitation and hugged me to her body. My eyes grew moist and I tried to fight back the tears but it was a losing battle. Pretty soon I was sobbing quietly on my mothers fine clothing. My father was not going to approve such an emotional response from me.

Time must have passed because I soon heard my uncles heavy foot steps coming down the hallway. Gently, I pried my teary face from my mother's shoulder in order to face my unhappy uncle to calmly explain what was going on. Seeing Vernon's irate face I faltered a little on what I was to say; my father tsked at me and quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Vernon! It is so good to see you. The years have slipped by quickly have they not? I hope that we are not intruding?" With my father's polite tones my uncle was forced to meet the comments with the same courtesy.

"No, you are not intruding James. We were just finishing breakfast. Harry here was helping us with completing some of our chores. I am sure if we had known that you were coming you would not have found us so... unprepared. Please come in. I think we would be most comfortable in the living area."

My uncle guided us towards the couch by the front window. I am rather glad that we are near the natural lighting because my mother always liked to be near to nature.

The first order of business when my parents got their home was to limit the amount of fluorescent lighting. Instead the rooms had large windows that streamed in the sunlight. My favorite room would have to be the foyer of our home. My father was really ambitious in the architecture of that area. His reasoning was, "The entrance of the home tells everyone what they should expect. The foyer tells the guests what kind of people live in the home." I am not to sure of his reasoning but the area the was produced was gorgeous.

The foyer in our home has floor to ceiling windows in a circular pattern. My father found a stone basin from an old church that is in France. It used to be the container of the holy water but it was discarded with some of the renovations. While on a business trip my father happened by the auction and quickly bought the placed the piece it in the middle of the foyer as its center piece. He always fills the basin with fresh water and water lilies in honor of my mother.

The floors of the foyer is a cool stone that was imported from an old demolished building in Germany. Moisture always clings to these stones giving the room a cool effect. The ceiling is enchanting. It is made with mahogany oak beams, but woven along those beams are intricate vines that thrive seemingly out of nowhere. My mom, when she was still healthy, fed the vines some of her gift so that they could survive indoors.

When I was really young I would always sneak to the foyer with my sleeping bag and sleep there. One time I was caught by my mother, she simply blinked at me and then smiled. She motioned at me to stay quiet and to keep going to the foyer. Minutes later I was joined by her and we spent the night looking out the big windows to watch the night pass by. My father laughed at us in the morning when he discovered where we were.

At present I was sandwiched between my mother and father. It was like we were one big happy family again. But I am not disillusioned to think that; my father's leg is tense next to my own. Despite my letters telling them that I had my Gorgon curse somewhat under control I can just feel his unease with me being near my mother. I can not honestly blame him, but I wish he would trust me a little bit more. I wish he would be my father for once instead of my mother's keeper.

My aunt finally joined Vernon on the opposite sofa. I am guessing that Dudley left out the back door to meet with some of his friends. It kind of stings a little to think that my first defender in the household does not wish to say farewell to me. But I digress.

"It is so wonderful to see you again Lily. You look as lovely as the day you said farewell to us. James, you look just as handsome." My aunt was delivering the standard pleasantries that any hostess is meant to give.

"Oh Petunia! You look well yourself! I think that you look youthful with your short hair." My aunt actually puffed up a little with this compliment. I chanced a brief glance to her face and actually had to kind of agree with my mother. But I would never tell that to Petunia, she would smack me and say I was just being a smart aleck.

"What brings you both back to England? Are you settling back here or are you planning to travel some more?" My uncle was always a blunt man, but he was being particularly abrupt here. I know that he is just itching to get me away from his family.

My father barely bat an eye before he responded, "Yes actually we are planning to return to England. We feel that Harry needs to be with us again; Lily and I have missed him dearly." I believed that my mother missed me, but I think that my father was lying about himself.

"Oh, well we are going to miss the boy." I wanted to snort at my uncle's comment. He was not going to miss me, he might even through a party at my departure.

"Lils you must stay for dinner!" Petunia was still going to play the perfect host. I looked to my mother for the decision. The afternoon light on my mother's face made her look ethereal. I was simply staring at her face when her eyes caught mine. I quickly ducked my head to break the contact.

"That is okay Pet, we should really be getting home. I think that there will be some people waiting for us." I was relieved, staying here another minute would be torture for me.

Petunia adopted the proper sad look at the refusal but I knew her well enough to know that she to was relieved at our departure.

"Harry why don't you go and get cleaned up? You will be able to collect your belongings another day." I nodded in acceptance of my mother's demands and quickly went to my room. I started to dig for clothes that would be alright to leave the house in. I finally settled on a pair of grey slacks. They had a slight stain on the inside of the pant leg and were a little worn out but they were better than nothing. For the shirt I finally decided upon a white button up shirt. some of the buttons are missing but I improvised with an old green undershirt. It was simply going to have to do.

Taking my clothes I quickly went to the washroom. My bathroom breaks are limited to two fifteen minute sessions a day, so I am used to getting prepared in short times. This payed off today given the short notice that I had.

Quickly showering and grooming myself I slipped on the clothes. I looked better than I generally do everyday in the Dursley household, but it is a far cry from what I should look like next to my parents.

Calming my nerves I braced my shoulders and slipped out of the washroom to rejoin with my parents.

My father almost showed open disdain for the clothes but quickly hid it under his mask of indifference. My mother looked a little disheartened by my look. I felt terrible for making her feel that way.

"Well, we must be heading out. We should have dinner together some time, no?" My father calmly rose to his feet indicating our time to leave.

"Yes, we must!" My aunt was guiding us to the door. I froze for a second and realized an important factor. I did not have shoes. My eyes were quickly seeking out a way to remedy this situation when my uncle came forward.

"Ah, must not forget our shoes, eh boy?" Despite the deceptively light tone of voice the words were all a warning to me. 'Don't speak to your parents of what happened here boy.'

Nodding my head in thanks I slipped on the pair of old loafer that were once Dudley's and raced out towards my parents.

This is the first time in many years that I have been outdoors. I wanted to skip up and down the block and twirl around, but my father was motioning me to the car.

Calmly I walked to the car as if this was a common occurrence which I can assure you, is not. My parents rarely used a driver when I was younger, but it seems times have changed.

My mother calmly ushered me into the back of the Mercedes sedan were I was next to my mother. My father opted to sit in the passengers side of the driver to leave more room in the back. I was glad that I was getting this time with my mother.

Once inside my mother grabbed my hand to draw my attention. "I think that Sirius and Remus are going to be at the house. We sent cleaners and decorators earlier to get it ready. I am sure that the family will be there. It is so good to see you again my son."

She wrapped her arms firmly around me as we sped away from the hole that was my home for some of the worst years of my life.

End of Chapter 2

A/N: I am enjoying writing this story. I really feel the need to get out a solid chunk of chapters out quickly in order to establish Harry's world. I hope that you all are enjoying it too. Please review. I would like to hear encouragement. Hopefully not complaints, but beggars can't be choosers sometimes.

Please tell me what you think. Please.

WMBE


	3. First Step

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter; that world belongs to the lovely Ms. J.K Rowling. Thank you so much Ms. J.K. Rowling.

Warnings: Still standard from the previous chapters.

-Enjoy

Chapter 3: ...First Step...

My parents watched the passing scenery with more care than most residents would. The passing years did bring some change to the area. But I could not show my joy and excitement for seeing the outside world. If my mother found out about my captivity, it would just kill her. I would never protect my mother's sister out of any family loyalty. The Dursley's never treated me like family and I will return that same sentiment to them. I am a very firm believer in fair trade; what is given to me, I will give back equally.

My mom squeezed my hand again. I chanced a glance over to her side of the car. Her eyes were gazing lovingly at the scenery as the sun highlighted her face. Her pale skin took on a warm, light golden hue and her eyes glittered when the light caught her eyes properly. Her grace and love for me warmed my heart; it started to feel like this was how it had always been. I could imagine that this is how it had been all these years; my mother and father taking me around the world to see the sights. Just for a moment I could pretend that was my life, but it faded when I saw us approaching the road leading back to our home.

We were heading to the outskirts of London; as the distance increased the greenery did as well. Pasture lands became more abundant and the roads and people less so. We continued a ways until we came to a hidden left hand turn. Black wrought iron gates blocked the path for most civilians, but these gates signaled that we were home. Without having to do anything the gates opened for us.

Beyond the dark arches lay the last stretch of road, only now it was lined with tall maple oaks. The green leaves shown to be luscious in the summers sun; I was slightly suspicious that it was my mother. I glanced over towards her, she felt my eyes upon her and must have read my questioning glance. She apparently did not need to have to look into my eyes to understand my concern.

"No darling, I did not effect the trees. I believe that Marianne is up at the house, she always likes to create a paradise wherever she goes. Maybe she could tend to the gardens." She said this in a light tone and her smile was still present on her face, but I was not fooled. I made a quick glance to her eyes and found that my suspicions were true, she was not alright. I'm not sure what hurt more, the thought that she was sad and unable to use her glorious gift or the fact that she felt the need to lie about her pain. My heart hurt at the thought, but all I could do was squeeze her hand right back.

We passed the last edge of trees were it opened up to the clearing that served as the residence's driveway. The road finished with a wide roundabout that led directly to the entrance of the home.

The building was exactly like we left it, the stony surface of the grand building still held the enchanting qualities that any castle's walls holds. The windows, despite the modern use compared to the classic style of the building, blend beautifully to give our home its 'homey' feeling. But the outside will never compare with the effects of what the windows have on the inside.

The driver pulled the car under the stoney archway that covered the entrance. With one final squeeze my mother relinquished my hand so that we could exit the car. The second we left the car all of my insecurities bloomed inside me again. There was going to be a welcome party and I am dressed as if I were going to make a quick run to grab milk or something like that from the market. Even that analogy is pushing it given what my attire is like. There is also the big fact of my Gorgon abilities. My parent's families are immortal, but one of my father's friends is not immortal; I am not sure if I could handle the rejection of all of my family if my gift were to act up tonight.

I was actually seriously contemplating running back down the road, the trees looked more inviting then the 'what ifs' that lay before me. My foot made a slight movement backwards, I was just about to turn away when the solid arm of my father quickly wrapped around my shoulders.

This move on my father's part gave off the deceptive air of being caring and gentle; really it was harsh and painful. I was gripped tightly under his arm, crushed to his side as he moved towards the door.

"Aren't you excited to see everyone again Harry?" My father was trying to keep up the front of the loving father in front of my mother, but I was not fooled. I knew that my father was the new Uncle Vernon for me.

Fearing that a verbal answer would give away my true opinions on the matter, I chose to simply nod affirmatively.

My mother was ahead of my father and I so she naturally opened the door. What greeted us was unconcealed stares and many joyous smiles. My mother wasted no time in rushing forward to greet them. Despite all of the effort and training that was put into making my mother the proper lady that her status demanded of her, she always threw it out the window for family.

While my mother quickly rushed to hug as many people as she could my father guided me through the foyer and into the day room, towards one of its couches. The party really was not my scene, I was just here as a prop and so that people could coo over me. I knew my place and I calmly accepted the role that my father placed me in.

The room had not changed much over the years away. The walls in this room were painted a pale yellow, my mother chose the color because it would warm with the sun. The chosen furniture was therefore upholstered in golden colors. The patterns of the pieces varied slightly but the theme was to be of geometric patterns on the fabrics. I was placed upon the sofa that faced the east window. I calmly placed my hands in my lap and allowed my mind to be absorbed by the scenery.

While I was busy looking around I was momentarily surprised by the hand that quickly intruded my line of sight. Glancing carefully, I let my eyes travel up the arm toward the head of the body. Part of my training when I was younger was how to properly look at new people; status of my Gorgon abilities is common knowledge to the members of the Gryffindor area. In order for me to study new faces I have to start from the shoulder of the person and slowly travel to the neck. Once there my eyes ascend, always keeping to the outer edges of the face and continue the tracing of the edges in a circular motion until I make a complete circle of the face. I heard that it unnerved some people, but it is always better to be safe than sorry.

While I was continuing my assessment the voice of the stranger chuckled. Out of reflex my eyes sought the source of the sound and that was the very eyes of a very different looking Albus Dumbledore. Horrified with my break in protocol my eyes immediately looked away from Albus'. I could feel my father's eyes boring into my back and I knew that there would be a review of my 'training'.

"Harry, it is quite alright to look into my eyes. I have faith in you that nothing bad will happen. Why don't you look up, hmm?" Albus' voice sounded so reassuring. I wanted to look up, to be able to look into the eyes of the one that I am speaking to. For once setting aside my fears over what my father would do to me, I slowly looked up into the kind face of Albus Dumbledore.

His features had changed over the years. Before he had this eccentric long white beard with almost equally long hair. He wore bright colored shirts and ties with exotic socks no matter the occasion. He always claimed that the world needed to be brightened. I always thought of him as the grandfather I always wanted, he did not bow to the social conventions that we had imposed upon ourselves. I wanted to be just like him.

But now, he had changed into the thing I feared. His beard, though still snow white, was trimmed neatly and his hair was immaculately cut to a traditional men's style. His clothes were no longer the bright rainbow like style, but the standard black suit with modest colored shirt and tie. My hero was gone and I did not know if he was ever coming back.

"Ah, that's better. Your eyes are to brilliant to be hidden away young Harry. My! Look at you! You have grown up so much since I have last seen you! How have you been? How have the years treated you?"I studied Albus as he spoke. Despite the more subdued look he still expressed the large range of emotions that old Albus did. The large range of emotions that present company would frown upon. It brightened my day knowing this.

"It has been good. Being with my parents has been very nice, but I am just glad to be home." My answer was a calculated one. Everyone there believed I had gone on the extended trips with my parents. I was forced into the position of evading any discussion regarding the trips because it would give away the secret and show my little knowledge of the world.

"That is good to hear! You have been keeping up with your studies while you were away correct? I think I heard that you had home schooling along the way and you took all the standard tests. They are on file, I had to check before I could offer this proposition. I haven't yet spoken with your parents, but I think it is ultimately your decision." Albus actually looked a little flustered here. It was a bit frightening to see, yet a little endearing to witness.

Finally getting a hold of whatever was causing his slight distress he calmly looked at me. His gaze was very serious, so serious to the point where he had my sole attention. "Harry, I would like for you to finish your last year of schooling at Hogwarts."

"Absolutely not Albus, it's out of the question." I jumped a little hearing my father's voice from behind me. I turned my head slightly to look over the couch. He stood there with firm set shoulders and a stern face. My dad was not going to negotiate on this.

I looked over to Albus, he did not even seem fazed. In fact, it almost looked as if he was expecting this outcome.

"Ah, James! How are you my boy!" Albus just seemed to move on in the conversation with little prompting. But my father was not going to allow this maneuver. I did not need to look in his eyes, or more properly his face, to see this.

"He will not be attending that scho-"

"James! What's this I hear? Your not going to have your son, my godson mind you, attend the school that brought about our best childhood?" I knew that voice. I tilted my head to the right to see with my peripheral vision. It was indeed my godfather Sirius Black. When I was younger he would always take me out for ice cream, and then he would chase me around the parking lot. He claimed that it would "Burn off the sugar and the calories!" It always dissolved into me being tickled on the sidewalk with a looming, grinning Sirius. But I would not, no I could not, look into his eyes now. Despite knowing that he is immortal, I could not handle the same hate that my father shows me coming from him.

"Sirius, it would be...unwise to place him among mortal students. He does not have full control yet." My father was still remaining the cold being to his long time friend; it definitely was a sign that it was not up for negotiation.

"But James, I have a solution! I have heard around that Harry here is able to sense when his ability will surface. I have a special area that he can go to when that occurs; he would be able to leave his classes to do so. It will be quite safe with all the precautions I have set into place." Albus had reasserted himself into the conversation. I actually started to feel...excited to go. The prospect of making friends of my own age was...exhilarating! That is if they were not already prejudiced to my, condition.

"Albus, be reas-"

"I think Harry should go James." My head snapped to that voice of its own accord. My mother was standing next to Sirius and Remus to my surprise. She had a thoughtful look upon her face as she gazed at my father; I am not entirely sure what it was that was in her face, but my father's resolve was dwindling.

"I agree with Albus, Sirius, and Lily, James. Harry needs to make connections with his own peers. What would Will and Harold think?" Remus was acting as the buffer and placing the final touches on the argument. My father could not argue with that final point.

I could hear his jaw clench, the slight grinding of his back molars. "Thank you for the invitation Albus. He will then be attending Hogwarts this upcoming semester." My father quickly and politely ended the conversation and walked away. His anger though was still apparent; it was in the way his heals clicked across the floor. My father prides himself in his calm and elegant walk but this, strut, was far from that.

"Well there is my favorite godson! Come on Harry, come and give me a hug." I could not help my unintentional eye roll. But nonetheless I got up from my seat and moved quickly to embrace Sirius. The hug was no mere hug, it was a big bear hug in which Sirius lifted me clean off my feet. It was both uncomfortable and comfortable; the strength placed in the hug reassured me that I was still Harry, not a pariah.

"Let him go Sirius, I want a hug from my favorite little guy." Sirius huffed as he placed me down as if it was some great task of letting me go. I went over and quickly hugged Remus; this hug was much more subdued and left me able to breath.

I missed these two very much; and seeing them now so happy together just warmed my heart, however it is a dangerous game they play. I know that the two of them are in love; something about the way they respond to the other's needs with no words only solidifies that fact. But with one being immortal and the other's immortality held in the hands of his pack...it is risky. Sirius was born to the noble house of Black; very rich and very strong in abilities. However one thing the Black household holds above all else, is purity; purity of ability. They hunt down any who have the same ability as themselves, that ability had to be dominant in the person, and forced those people into marriages. It is ugly business when dealing with the Black family, that is why people pray that they never catch their eyes. The ability that the Black household covets above all else is the ability to bend shadows to their wills. Sometimes this manifests in small levels of power; the person would only be able to teleport through the shadows. But rumor has it that there have been much stronger beings in the line. The last being Cygnus; rumor has it that he was able to take any shadow no matter how big or small and could shape into anything. He could even make them into corporeal objects. It is said that he murdered the head of a rivaling family using his ability but no one could prove it.

The Black line covets its heirs and always keeps them close. Especially those who show considerable talent. Sirius is no Cygnus Black, but he is a force to be reckoned with. Sirius is able to teleport and he can also suffocate or smother things in shadows. The Black family was thrilled and they carefully sculpted Sirius to wield this gift. Sirius did not so much mind this, what he did mind was that they were going to force him to marry to produce more of the line. Sirius ran, he ran and sought asylum with the Potter line and he met the love of his life this way. Mr. Remus Lupin.

Remus Lupin grew up in the hardest circumstances known. He was born to one of the wolf clans. These clans' uniqueness is there ability to take on the forms of wolves at will. Some call them 'werewolves' but that is a common misconception. The werewolf was actually a human man bitten by one of the wolves of a clan. The man was forced to take on some of the features of the wolf and was left in this humanoid form for the short time that he was able to live. When the sun had risen the next day the man was already dead. The whole myth about a full moon only came about because the man was forced to transform on a full moon. The legend was born, but thankfully it was not allowed to grow into a reality. No further humans were infected and the wolf clans banned interaction between themselves and humans to prevent another incident.

These clans are run by a head, or alpha. That alpha controls the fates of all of its members, it is grotesque and it leads to many problems. At first the alpha's abused this ability to force pack members to do things for their alpha's in order to live. But when there became division of boundaries and leaders (the territories of England for example), there also came reform. Still, it is not uncommon to hear of abuse going on in those clans presently. Remus' ability to live is still in the hands of his alpha, Fenrir, and it leaves both himself and Sirius vulnerable.

But despite the odds against them they made it work for them.

My mom grabbed me before I could sit down again. I was about to protest but she shushed me with a finger to my lips.

"He actually is a little guy, my little baby boy. You are still short for your age! Heaven forbid that you should inherit my lack of tall genes." While my mother laughed with Sirius, Remus, and Albus I glowered.

"That's our little boy!" Shouted Sirius after a particularly loud laugh. I glared at them all before my eyes landed on my future headmaster.

I looked at Albus, he was smiling at me and I could not help my own smile that answered back to his own.

Things were starting to look upwards and I felt that I was taking a step forward to some future. But this was to be my future and I could now control it.

A/N: So here is the next installment. It has been a pleasure writing this. Please leave a comment. Till next time.

WMBE


	4. I mark

Chapter 4:

…I mark…

A/N: So, I bet most of you were thinking I would never return. Well here I am. Life just caught up with me for a bit. Sorry! I cannot guarantee that it will not happen again. It ain't summer chickadees! This is a WIP.

* * *

My head was pounding. The noise and all the social cues that I was expected to keep up with were giving me a headache!

Summer was officially over and I was starting up with school again. My mother took extra care in getting me ready for going off to Hogwarts Boarding School. She made sure the uniforms I got were pristine and all of my clothing, bath supplies, school supplies, etc. were up to par. My father did not care as long as I maintained a grade point average of 3.5 or better.

Now, I am boarding the train off to my new path. My mother is teary eyed; we spent almost every waking minute together but it just does not seem like it was enough. My father looks exactly like his cold hard self. No love shining through his eyes, I am just a Potter heir to him; not his son.

The final boarding call is sounded. I wave with dignity back to my parents and then turn around to find a place to sit.

This is where the headache comes in. All of the students were happy and overjoyed to be with each other and making new friends. I have not made a friend since I was about eight years old.

Therefore I just kept walking until I found an open compartment in the very back of the train. I automatically shut the door so that the noise would be muffled. It technically is rude to do this; my compartment is not full and I should be making friends. But, honestly my mind could not take any more pressure.

I am supposed to not embarrass my family and I already feel like it is going to be a losing battle.

I just rested my head against the back of my seat and closed my eyes. I was content feeling the train start to move and feeling the sun on my face. I was finally relaxing. Until…..

The compartment door opened. My eyes automatically shot open and my body sat rigidly up in my seat. I almost let my eyes snap up to see the person or persons face(s), but I caught myself in time.

I let my eyes rest towards their, it turns out persons, shoulders and quickly counted up who was entering. It looked to be a total five people. All of them were male except for one, though she looked very tough next to all of those young men.

Now I felt awkward. Technically I was here first, but I am sitting all alone. Maybe I should move for them so that they can sit together and be in peace just talking amongst them. But then again, where would I go? My mind was playing out every scenario and I would have continued to do so until I was interrupted. The first young male approached me with his hand out.

"Hello, my name is Draco Malfoy."

My mind screeched to a halt and went into its more political mode. I started doing searches and cross-references of the name Malfoy in my head. What I found within those few seconds of mental search was immense.

The Malfoy family lives in the Slytherin province of England. They appear to be a wealthy up-and-up family, but rumor has it that the father deals in some of the more "shady" businesses.

Keeping my face relaxed and eyes settled away from his eyes I held out my hand to shake his.

"My name is Harry Potter, it is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Malfoy." His body tensed slightly indicating he was aware of whom I was now. Given the way his eyes automatically shifted I am pretty sure he knows exactly what kind of person I am as well.

But he continued to be polite. "These are my close friends. The one on the left is Crabbe, to his right is Goyle, and then the last two are Blaise and Pansy. We, unfortunately, were unable to find a place to stay and hoped that we could stay with you. If that is alright?"

Polite people always get to me; it has been so beat in my head to be kind that if someone said "Could I please steal some of your cash?" I would probably let them.

So I found myself sitting here with five new companions. But I doubt they will ever befriend me. They will be polite and just use me until I am unnecessary. Which basically is, once we get to Hogwarts they will never speak to me again.

"So Mr. Potter; how was your summer?" Pansy, who was sitting to the left Draco (who is sitting directly opposite of me), asked.

I did not look to her face; I was going to follow protocol to the letter at school. Instead I looked to where her neck and shoulder met. She must be a lovely girl; from what I could see, her pale skin was accentuated with perfectly curled blonde hair.

"My summer was enjoyable, thank you for asking. How was yours?" My response was well rehearsed. It had to be; otherwise my father would have been embarrassed many a time. I would much rather ask more detailed questions, or give much more detailed responses. But these political games! They are…infuriating! These rules dominate my life and force me to wear a mask all the time, as if I do not have enough problems to deal with.

But Pansy is satisfied with my response, "It was well thank you." And gave me the standard response back. The look on her face is one of happiness; I can tell she feels pleasure because she was the one to follow protocol first. She takes pleasure from silly insignificant things.

"Is it true that you can turn people to stone with a single glance?" That question threw me off. I turned to my left side, Crabbe was the one to break protocol and ask the most impolite question.

This group does not seem to do anything "half-assed".

I was kind of flabbergasted. My mind was seeking a good way to respond to this and I was simply going to say "yes" when another broke into the conversation.

"Crabbe! That was out of line! You have embarrassed yourself and caused harm to Mr. Potter's reputation! –Mr. Potter, please accept my apology on my friends behalf. I am in your debt." Spoke a passionate Draco.

He shocked me.

He. Shocked. Me.

He just took over Crabbe's blame. Crabbe made a huge social blunder and was technically in the wrong. He would have had to make it up to me for belittling my name, and inadvertently, my family's name. I would have had to collect the dues for such a blunder.

That is a terrible position to be in. To be in debt to someone over a social blunder like that! It is so shameful that some very strict families disowned their children for such acts. But those cases were rare.

But Draco Malfoy was going to take the blame! Unthinkable! And his friends agreed with my notion. Pansy immediately jerked in her seat and snatched Draco's arm with a breathy "NO!" Blaise looked at Draco sharply but otherwise went back to reading his book. Crabbe looked like a kicked puppy and Goyle just seemed to not be sure what to do.

"Mr. Potter, I will find a way to rectify this situation; be it money, status, or anything that you or your family demands."

He shocked me again! He was allowing me to specify what was to be the price, he was not even going to negotiate this!

What was going on!

* * *

A/N

Hey, so I will try to update more regularly. No fear. Like I said before, I really really like this plot.

Review please.

WMBE


	5. This Journey

Chapter 5

"…this journey…"

A/N: Um...so ...if you have been following this story (which if you have I am so grateful that you have) I am so sorry that you waited so long. I must say that my negligence was based upon a lot of things. I just hope that you can forgive me and simply enjoy the chapter I am about to present.

Disclaimer: Standard from Chapter One.

* * *

I wasn't sure of what to do in this situation. The train had finally arrived at the station for Hogwarts. We were off in one of Scotland's rural parts; the only other thing besides the school was the small town Hogsmeade. The small town was designed to cater to the students of Hogwarts, all in all it was a secluded town. There were no muggles out here; this area was private land.

Unfortunately Hogwarts sits far from the train station, so we needed to be transported there. It seemed that the preferred method of transportation were these single horse-drawn carriages. The unfortunate part was I had to play the game of finding a seat amongst these carriages. I was really becoming down trodden when a touch to my shoulder saved me.

I turned and found myself looking towards Draco, he motioned briefly to one of the carriages. I could see that his companions were occupying one of the carriages and judging from their expressions, were not thrilled about sharing a carriage with me. Sadly, I could not spare them the pain, I needed a carriage after all.

I tried to spare them any pain or embarrassment as much as possible, I turned away from them and tried to make myself as small as possible. No physical contact, and especially no eye contact. That seemed to make them more comfortable and they relaxed into some light-hearted conversation. I paid no attention to them, my mind wandered off to the castle that lay in the distance.

I was the first out of the carriage and I moved as far from the group as I could. They deserved a break from me; I had imposed myself upon them too much.

Someone was approaching me; it appeared to be a school official. I kept moving towards the woman and let her make the first move. I immediately took stock of her prim attire, showing off her proud heritage.

"Good evening Mr. Potter, welcome to Hogwarts Boarding School. My name is Professor McGonagall; I am the head of your house, as a resident of Gryffindor you will reside with your fellow Gryffindors. If you have any questions about housing and such, you may bring up any concerns with Gryffindor's prefects and as a last resort, myself. I will be giving you your schedule tomorrow. For now, please follow me into the hall and I will seat you at our house's table." With a sharp turn Professor McGonagall turned to the school. I quickly moved to catch up.

The walk was brief to reach the Great Hall; the journey to my table was epic. The second we entered the hall every head turned towards us. Truthfully, every head turned to me. All the tables broke into whispers, but the Gryffindor table was the loudest. They knew who I was, and in united fashion turned away from me. The other houses were starting to catch on to this fact and rumors started to spread.

I quickly thanked my Head of House and quickly sat at the end of my table. I made no eye contact and I waited for the evening to be over.

"Good evening my dear students. Welcome to a brand new year! I hope your summer breaks were excellent; to the new students I wish you all a great year here at Hogwarts. As a precaution to parents rising concerns we will be restricting students curfews, and we will be sending more chaperones when students are going to Hogsmeade. I hope that you all have a pleasant evening. Enjoy!"

Suddenly the tables became laden with food. There was a little murmur at the sudden sight, but it seemed that this was a common occurrence. Quickly grabbing some meat and vegetables I tucked into the meal.

* * *

It became apparent that the Gryffindor prefects were not going to help me find the dorms. The table had only a handful of students remaining, and after a brief look at the faculty table, I knew McGonagal was not paying attention. I didn't want to cause a scene. Trying to be nonchalant I moved away from the table as gracefully as I could. My father always stressed the concept of, "Be seen, not heard."

I moved smoothly out of the hall and into the outside corridor. There were no students around so I decided to take a walk around the castle. With no directions, I simply wandered where I wanted to go. I found numerous classrooms, but no dorm halls. I was growing concerned. Through my meandering I had been keeping track of time, my last glance showed that I had fifteen minutes before curfew.

Fearing being caught out, I backtracked to a corridor that appeared less used. Checking the doors, I found one door that was unlocked. Moving quickly I stepped in and shut the door. Tonight, this would have to be my room.

The dust caked every surface in the room, I took this as a plus for my situation; it meant that no one was going to come and check the room. I perused the cupboards of the room and found some old cloth, it was yellowing but it would do for the night. I rearranged some of the furniture to make a bed for myself, it was going to be an uncomfortable bed, but I could deal with it. Others had worse conditions to deal with than a sore back in the morning. Once I was satisfied with my bedding, I moved to lock the door and tuck in. Good night to me.

I woke up with a start. Disoriented I moved to stretch; my back was definitely a mess. There was a bang on the door. I was scared, should I open the door? Before I could even make a decision the door opened of its own volition. I was beyond scared now. I was petrified. I was the deer caught in the headlights. In came a man with a scowl and dark hair. His beady black eyes immediately locked onto my form and his entire demeanor changed from stoic to furious.

Judging by looks alone, I was going to be punished to high heavens for this transgression.

"Mr. Potter, what are you doing in this room at two in the morning?" Spoke the man.

What was I to say to him in this situation. I settled for as close the truth as I could.

"I am sorry sir, I got lost trying to get back to the dorm. I was really tired and I guess I just passed out in this old classroom. I am so sorry for causing trouble."

I kept my eyes down, submission is the best policy in the face of authority.

"Well, I will be escorting you back to your dorm then, and you will be serving detention with me this Friday to make up for the trouble you caused."

I nodded my head in acceptance to this and slowly got up, I moved quickly to return the room to the way it was before I entered it. I could feel the eyes watching, judging every movement but I continued with my task. After quick work the room was in the manner I had found it.

I made my way, through the room, back to the man's side. There was a pause, as if he was tempted to just leave me there, but he quickly turned and exited the room. I felt like a wayward pup as I trotted after him. I followed at a respectable pace behind him as we weaved through the halls of the school. Soon there were less classrooms and more of just long corridors. It was like we were passing through a phase of the school. Still there was no conversation, we continued along the moonlight paths like wraiths in the night. I felt like we were prowling the halls. Especially the man before me, there was almost this...cat like gait to him. He moved with so much purpose, like every step had been measured so that it was the most efficient step taken.

We finally took a last turn and arrived, rather abruptly, to a door with a key card lock on it. I stared at it, expecting the man to pull out the card necessary to unlock it.. The moments kept passing and he did not move.

"Well, are you going to produce the card necessary to get into your own dorm room?" The man turned to look at me and his face was so impatient that I wished that I could produce said card, but that was a wish I could not grant.

"Im sorry sir, it seems that I have displaced the card." I tried to make my tone as apologetic as I could. He regarded me cooly but unsympathetically.

"Do you have the key to open the door to your room?" The tone he used revealed nothing of his thought process. But I felt like this was a test.

"Um...I left it with my card." I knew that I had just failed some test this man had placed before me.

"Did you ever receive either the key card or the key?" This tone was clear, it was 'Don't even try to lie to me, I have basically figured you out.'

I caved.

"I did not receive either of them."

His gaze was hard, but beyond that unreadable. Finally he moved to grab something from his own pocket. It was a card which he then passed over the card reader. The door quickly unlocked and he ushered me in.

The common room was huge. There was a fireplace that was placed along the left hand wall, upon entering. Above it was a huge flat screen TV with a large sectional sofa before it. On the right was a sitting area with tables and chairs for students to study and chat. It was warm, cozy, very inviting. But I was quickly ushered to a stair case situated at the back of the common room.

Suddenly we came upon a hall of doors up and down it. All the doors had names displayed upon them of the occupants within the rooms. Some of the signs were highly decorated, others just the bare minimum, a name. We went down the hall until we came upon the last door, a door without a name on it.

Silently the man drew out a key and opened the door.

"Your lucky that I happen to have a copy of your house's master key on me. Otherwise we would have had to contact your head of house and that would have been a long, arduous process. If you do not have your key and card by tomorrow...we will be having a much longer conversation."

He turned away from me, sweeping along like a strong wild cat, however he quickly turned back to regard me.

"And Mr. Potter, 50 points from Gryffindor."

Before I could even question what that could possibly mean he was gone.

What does it mean to "lose points"?

I turned back to the door in front of me, pushing it lightly for it to swing open. The room was nothing extravagant. It was plain, with neutral warm walls, a twin bed to one side with a dresser next to it, a dest on the other with a comfy looking office chair. My belongings sat just within the doorway. Sighing I entered my new room.

I decided I would only unpack the most necessary items. It was late, around 3 am at this point, and I had classes the following morning. I settled on unpacking my clothes and my toiletries. The wardrobe sat next to the desk with a set of drawers. I quickly worked to hang all of my clothes (it would do to avoid wrinkles) and folded all the other items. I made quick work of it. I could feel my eye lids getting heavier and heavier. By the time I was done I couldn't bring myself to try and even brush my teeth. I didn't even change out of my clothes! I collapsed upon my bed.

* * *

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Potter! Get up!"

I bolted out of bed. I was dazed but I moved quickly to the door.

Beyond the door stood three irate beings. I regarded them, well as much as I could. The one in the middle took up their cause.

"We found out that 50 points were taken from us this morning. 50! What did you do?"

Before I could even respond I was grabbed and dragged down the stairs to the common room. I was then forced to face the fireplace and gaze up at the tv screen. On it was the four houses with a list of points. The other houses were at zero, ours however was at -50. The worst thing was next to that loss was my name, clear as day telling everyone that it was me who lost my house the points. I had a feeling it was meant as a deterrent for wrong doing, but it was really hurting my case right now.

My stomach dropped. What was I supposed to do! I was already disliked and now I lost the house points! I was literally screwed at this point.

"I am so sorry. I had a misunderstanding last night. It won't happen again." It was the best I could do given the situation.

"I am truly sorry. If you will excuse me." I gave a slight bow to them and started back up the stairs. I could hear them all whispering furiously behind me. Some openly saying I was going to "Fuck up their chances to win the cup this year!" others saying "That I would be punished if I did not gain back those points." either way, I shivered as I made my way to the bathroom.

Thankfully the boys communal bath was empty. I moved quickly through my routine, the quicker the better (less chance of a confrontation). I finished before others entered and made my way back to my room.

When I got there I set my stuff down haphazardly and just sat on my bed. I wanted to break down so bad right then. I felt like I was being persecuted! People screaming that I was a witch and needed to be burned at the stake! It was a feeling that, though not foreign, was still not something I was used to. Especially from people who should understand me.

Before those thoughts could progress further there was a sharp knock on my door. Once again I moved to open my door.

A key and card were thrust into my face.

"These are yours Potter. Hold on to them, if you lose either one of them, or God forbid, both, you will be on your own. Do you understand?"

The tone that the Prefect (I think his name was Percy) used brooked no argument. His posture was stiff and, from what I could see, his face was pinched in a tight expression.

"I suggest you get down to the hall for breakfast. If you lose us another point, for anything, you will be facing more than just harsh comments from this house. Do you understand me Mr. Potter?"

"Yes sir."

With that he turned sharply and descended down the stairs. Clutching my only means to entering and exiting my new sanctuary/hell I grabbed my bag and exited my room.

The day had barely started and I had lost my house points. How many more would I lose that day?

* * *

Thanks again for reading. I am sorry for any errors in the story, if you spot them please tell me or talk to me about your concerns with the story.

Sincerely,

WMBE


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